caulfield12

QUOTE(BigSqwert @ Apr 11, 2007 -> 04:55 PM) I'd stick with Aardsma. Kielty kills LH pitchers, then you have Piazza and Chavez. It would be nice to get an 8-3 lead and just leave Aardsma out there. I don't think I can take Jenks again. Wouldn't that be 3 days in a row for Jenks?

QUOTE(WilliamTell @ Apr 11, 2007 -> 04:48 PM) Good AB for AJ. This Pods AB can frame the debate for the next 48 hours here at SoxTalk, lol.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Apr 11, 2007 -> 04:42 PM) Huston Street coming in for the 9th. White Sox ERA is now 3.95 for the season. Blown saves, White Sox 3, rest of AL 7 Make that White Sox 3, rest of AL 8

QUOTE(hitlesswonder @ Apr 11, 2007 -> 04:16 PM) AJ is going to play in 162 games this season.... White Sox in 2006...after starting 1-4, went to 4-4 and then 13-5. What are the odds of that happening this season?

QUOTE(HeGone33 @ Apr 11, 2007 -> 04:10 PM) Last week it was Coop getting fired, this week its Walker.........Soxtalk is hilarious sometimes. Stay tuned folks!!!!!!!!!! I'm not saying what should or shouldn't happen....Ozzie is very loyal and has a great relationship with Walker, it's not the Gary Ward or Von Joshua situations....just that the media will try to find a villain or two to villify, and what better target than the hitting coach when your offense was dominating in 2006 and returns almost the same roster? Perhaps even better with Hall and Ersad.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Apr 11, 2007 -> 04:07 PM) Ok, it's not that smart to even think about being knocked out of the race 1 month into the season. Not even remotely. Seems each of the last few years, someone has gone down big in the first month or two and still made the playoffs. Astros, A's, Cardinals I think, etc. Those teams didn't have to catch three teams in their divisions...they only had to jump one or two. The Cardinals were about 10-15 games over .500 for most of the season, almost collapsed to let the Astros back in it and just survived. The Astros and the A's...but the A's only have four teams in their division and the Angels are their only real competition.

QUOTE(Capn12 @ Apr 11, 2007 -> 04:06 PM) OK. Tell me who is the better option for hitting in the 2 hole: Choice A)The guy who has 1 AB all year, not a great contact hitter, not great OBP history, long loopy swing Choice B)The guy who hit 2nd for 2 YEARS with this team, posted a great OBP, used to the role and does the things that are needed hitting 2nd Its pretty simple. Iguchi looks about as good as Konerko and Dye right now at the plate, and this has been a lingering question since his horrible spring, which seems to be an annual tradition with him

QUOTE(Jimbo @ Apr 11, 2007 -> 04:03 PM) I hate you Radio Team....got my hopes up How long before Walker is fired? It's not the pitching right now...seems like the media always wants to pin it on the hitting coach. Ozzie's very loyal, it will be interesting to see how long this offensive slump goes on. We need to be ready to play our next two series or we could get knocked out of the race in the first month of the season.

QUOTE(Jimbo @ Apr 11, 2007 -> 04:00 PM) yay dye and crede giong to suck this chance up..go figure GIDP

QUOTE(Wedge @ Apr 11, 2007 -> 03:57 PM) I just think based on how he looks now and last year, that it's a pretty big assumption that he'll hit 270. I could be wrong, but that's just what my eyes tell me. He looks like a .230-.245 hitter to me...not unlike Rowand and Crede when they both first came up (throw in a dash of Chris Snopek), just has such a long swing. When he's short and quick, he can be very dangerous (see the Felix Hernandez game).

QUOTE(caulfield12 @ Apr 11, 2007 -> 03:52 PM) 1) Anderson can't bunt to save his life 2) Every ball he pulls will end up in a double play on the infield...he can't instinctively go to the opposite field to advance a runner 3) Too many swings without contact...hit and run would be a disaster 4) Too impatient 5) Can't hit a breaking ball 6) He can't adjust his swing to hit sac flies HOF/Gold Glove/All-Time Top 50 MLB defensive team for Anderson

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Apr 11, 2007 -> 03:49 PM) Actually, if Anderson makes contact and keeps the strikeouts low, it's not a terrible idea. I think someday he'll wind up making a nearly ideal #2 hitter once he's had some time. I'm not sure it's a good idea to stick him there after 7 games of sitting on the bench. 1) Anderson can't bunt to save his life 2) Every ball he pulls will end up in a double play on the infield...he can't instinctively go to the opposite field to advance a runner 3) Too many swings without contact...hit and run would be a disaster 4) Too impatient 5) Can't hit a breaking ball 6) He can't adjust his swing to hit sac flies

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Apr 11, 2007 -> 03:47 PM) For the organization its better for BA to be in AAA learning his craft while Luis Terrero is up on the big squad for the once a week start. Its just better business. It's better business not to have 3 blown saves 7 games into the season. I'm sure those crowds in May against KC and TB (weekend games) will be off the charts at this rate.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Apr 11, 2007 -> 03:44 PM) Anderson GIDP. F***. I have a feeling the BA supporters' defense will be it's totally unfair to judge him because he's not getting regular at-bats. It's a given. I just wish he would get at least ONE swing per game that makes you believe he has a chance to hit the ball hard somewhere. For some reason, he reminds me of Rowand when he's in a really big funk.

QUOTE(Wedge @ Apr 11, 2007 -> 03:16 PM) What are the right reasons? Is Brian leading baseball over the last two seasons in least pitches seen per at bat?

QUOTE(WilliamTell @ Apr 11, 2007 -> 03:13 PM) way to snow cone that one pods. Someone will argue we should have pulled Pods after that play. I knew somehow it would come up.

QUOTE(Capn12 @ Apr 11, 2007 -> 03:10 PM) For being a team that doesn't hit that well, Oakland surely has a great approach against us in this series....I wish our middle of the order could have the same. How do they have a great approach? They should have lost both games to start the series, and Buehrle is getting squeezed by the ump, anyone can hit an 87 MPH fastball over the middle of the plate.

QUOTE(fathom @ Apr 11, 2007 -> 03:05 PM) Are you speaking about Toby? He might be the 5th or 6th most important player on the team this year. If we trade away 1/5th of our team, he might move up to 3 or 4.

QUOTE(retro1983hat @ Apr 11, 2007 -> 02:57 PM) Burhelre lose millions since the All Star Game. Buehrle turned down $34 million for 3 years, he'll still get that in the FA market if he keeps his ERA below 4.50 IMO. Someone will give him that, if the Cubs can give Lilly (who has never been more than a 4/5 starter) that type of ridiculous money.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Apr 11, 2007 -> 02:54 PM) I just got in...what did Anderson do? His usual strikeout on an anything below 85 MPH and a bobble in CF, although the ball was over his head already...

QUOTE(G&T @ Apr 11, 2007 -> 02:52 PM) This is ridiculous. MB is not pitching bad, the A's are hitting it from the shoulders to the shoes. That ball Piazza hit was crushed, but he was forced to throw one over the plate as he had two very questionable ball calls and that was that... Get Masset up.

QUOTE(Jimbo @ Apr 11, 2007 -> 02:51 PM) WE f***IN SUCK Who didn't see this game coming? Good Lord, I would be better off watching reruns of Mr. Belvedere.

QUOTE(Jenks Heat @ Apr 11, 2007 -> 10:11 AM) Jenks didn't do his job but it wasn't like he got pounded. He gave up three ground balls through the infield. Poor defense resulted in the loss. If anyone can not understand why Pods should not have been out there, you are missing an integral part of baseball. In the bottom of the 9th in a one run game you put your best defensive players on the field. I believe the reason Mack was not hit for was because his defense is better than Dye's. Pods has played really well this season but his defense is atrocious and will not get better. To leave him out there was a bad move. Guillen did not put his team in an obviously more favorable position ot win the game and therefore he failed. The problem is, Jenks is SUPPOSED to be a strikeout pitcher, someone who can avoid contact with the bats, not James Baldwin, Jim Parque or Jon Garland. The ball Piazza hit was ripped through the infield...I would hardly call it bad luck or blame it on bad positioning of the SS and 3B. None of the four hits that inning were absolutely smashed (like the Indians' fiasco where Jenks gave up double after double), but that was more hits than they had the entire game, in one inning.

QUOTE(Jimbo @ Apr 11, 2007 -> 10:09 AM) so is the life of a closer.. not unlike a field goal kicker...i went to Iowa, and I remember SD Chargers fans being PO'ed that Nate Kaeding missed a field goal in the playoffs, and it might have been the first one he's missed in a couple of months, but sports is all about "what have you done for me lately?"

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Apr 11, 2007 -> 09:56 AM) You realize that Coop was on late last year on the Mike North radio show, saying that they are trying to get MacDougal to be more in the strikezone and would rather have him in the zone at 94-95 than out of it for most of the AB at 97. With him its more of concentrating on throwing strikes than all of a sudden his arm is dead. MacDougals ball moves all over the place. If he throws strikes, even at 94-95 its hard to hit. Velocity doesnt equal success. Bobby needs the velocity because his control isnt great, and his fastball doesnt move that much. But he can get by in the middle 90s with this offspeed stuff. Koch whom you keep comparing him to, had no control what so ever and didnt have any of the secondary pitches that Bobby has. Bobby needs to get his fat ass throwing hard again, thats not a secret. But all of the bullpen guys, need to throw strikes. So if they can throw lots of strikes a few mph's off their top velocity its a hell of a lot better than if they are jacking it up, and walking the world. Well, the jury's still out on MacDougal as a closer, I think he was 21 for 25 the last time with the Royals, but closing for the Royals was like Kip Wells' 2002 and 2003 seasons with the Pirates. Pretty meaningless. From taking a cursory look at the stats, his BB/IP ratio is down from the .50 ratio it was 2-3 seasons ago. Last year, 6 walks in 24 IP, that's a pretty good improvement. I still don't think MacDougal puts up a season that replicates the save percentage of Jenks in 2005/06. But anything is better than what the Royals and Indians did last year in the bullpen. The question is, does 21/25 get the job done if Nathan only blows one or two games, or Zumaya/Jones, or Borowski? Koch had a very nice slider, when he would get ahead in the count...but he didn't have the confidence to throw it whenever he really needed to get an out. Jenks does have more faith in his offspeed stuff, sometimes he can have a little too much, like last night, and you end up trying to trick someone instead of coming with your best pitch, which, for Jenks, should be the fastball.